TG55 Voicing Basics

AWM2 Waveforms

“AWM2” is an acronym for YAMAHA’s second-generation 16-bit Advanced Wave Memory. This is a digital waveform storage and reproduction system that rivals the quality of the finest compact disc players, providing unprecedented clarity and realism in the reproduction of acoustic instruments and other natural timbres. Technically speaking, AWM2 deals with 16-bit wave data sampled at 32 or 48 kilohertz, 24-bit internal signal processing, and high-resolution 22-bit digital-to-analog converters.

The TG55 contains 2 megabytes of of sampled waveform ROM, so you have a choice of 74 built-in waveforms from which to construct voices.

Elements and Voice Architecture
Each TG55 voice is composed of one, two or four “elements.” The only limitation is that the maximum polyphony of the TG55 is 16 (i.e. the maximum number of notes that can be played simultaneously is 16). This means that a 1-element voice can produce the full 16 notes, while a “layered” 2-element voice can produce 8, and a layered 4-element voice can produce 4.